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Speakeasy: Of course there’s no sexism at the BBC, just Strictly Come Groping

Tanya Gold

July 21 2013, 1:01am, The Sunday Times

Today, the BBC programme, has a new female presenter in Mishal Husain. This is excellent.

Before her appointment, male outnumbered female by four to one on Radio 4’s flagship show.

Misogynists may scream about tokenism and positive discrimination, like animals which can only see the world back-to-front and upside-down, but if young women do not see or hear women on the news they will not seek to make it and will leave male mediocrities to take their place.

Tony Hall, the new director-general of the BBC, rises in my internal dude-ometer; well done, Baron Hall of Birkenhead, pat yourself on your salary and regard the breadth of your equality-washed domain.

But — oh! — he now rises again in my idiot-ometer. Last week Maria Miller, the minister…

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